Recorded over three trips to India (2002, 2003 & 2004/2005) using inexpensive recording media (minidisk and cassette recorders). Granted, it is not a journey for the audiophile purist out there, but you'll want to hop aboard this omnibus to hear examples of street and temple music, as well as field recordings and incidential sounds and more from many corners of this vast country! From the brass marching bands of Mysore's famed Dasara parade to recordings from the Joydev Mela that you won't find on a "proper" world music sampler, we have strived to present a work that touches on our sonic experiences - yes the experiences of outsiders but a fascinating experience nevertheless.

Our primary interest in this release is to present that which might usually get pushed into the margins, the joy of sound as it appears in a part of the world, as it really manifests - not prettied up for the sake of presentability. Serene bhajans and festival party bands exist in the same place, isn't it time they share the same disc?

From a boat ride down the Ganges with dueling rituals vying for your attention to impassioned nadaswaram/saxophone/percussion music from a Jain holy site to a mandolin/tabla duo that conjure up images of surf guitar, we bring you some amazing sounds that you won't even have to catch a train (although to relive that there's track 13) to experience in the course of an hour!

Click here to read a series of emails that I sent out during two of these trips (accompanied with pictures and short videos to break things up). Look at it as an attempt at context, and keep in mind these were not written with the idea of ever being published (in any form).